Financial Stability Forum

The Financial Stability Forum (FSF) was a group consisting of major national financial authorities such as finance ministries, central bankers, and international financial bodies. The Forum was founded in 1999 to promote international financial stability. Its founding resulted from discussions among Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of the G7 countries, and a study which they commissioned.[1] The Forum facilitated discussion and co-operation on supervision and surveillance of financial institutions, transactions and events. FSF was managed by a small secretariat housed at the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland.[2] The FSF membership included about a dozen nations who participate through their central banks, financial ministries and departments, and securities regulators, including: the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands and several other industrialized economies as well as several international economic organizations.[3] At the G20 summit on November 15, 2008 it was agreed that the membership of the FSF will be expanded to include emerging economies, such as China. The 2009 G-20 London summit decided to establish a successor to the FSF, the Financial Stability Board. The FSB includes members of the G20 who were not members of FSF.[4]

The Financial Stability Forum met in Rome on 28–29 March 2008 in connection with the Bank for International Settlements. Members discussed current challenges in financial markets, and various policy options to address them from this point forward.[5]

At this meeting, the FSF discussed a report to be delivered to G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in April 2008. it identifies key weaknesses underlying current financial turmoil, and recommends actions to improve market and institutional resilience. The FSF discussed work underway at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) with regard to sovereign wealth funds (SWFs). The IMF is working closely with SWFs to identify a set of voluntary best practice guidelines, and is focusing on the governance, institutional arrangements and transparency of SWFs.[5]

On April 12, 2008 the FSF delivered a report to the G7 Finance Ministers which details out its recommendations for enhancing the resilience of the financial markets and financial institutions. These are in five areas: